Happy Halloween

Growing up in my childhood home, my family NEVER celebrated Halloween. I'd like to think my family is pretty religious and my parents decided that Halloween was not something we would participate in. So every year around 5:00 on Halloween, we would pile into our purple mini van and head down to Chuck E Cheese. A few other families from the neighborhood would join us - they too chose not to celebrate Halloween - and we would dine on pizza and play in the ball pit. We would knock ourselves out playing all of the games in the arcade. Then around 7:00, our families would head around the corner to the Harvest Festival at the county fairground.

A local church hosted this even EVERY Halloween. Members of their congregation put on games, and attendees could go from station to station (or game to game) to have fun! Regardless of whether you won the game or not, they had candy prizes that you could stow away in a little bag they gave you. So families had their children dress up in friendly costumes (i.e. cheerleader or superhero). Many families dressed up in nothing but their street clothes. As a kid, I never felt that I missed out on the trick-or-treat celebrations occurring in my neighborhood, because I STILL had an opportunity to get candy. Additionally, I always looked forward to spending the evening with the Manor and Smith families at Chuck E Cheese.

When I decide to have children of my own, I think I'd like to go about raising them the same :o) I mean, hey! I turned out alright.

Funny enough, however, when I entered college ... I took FULL advantage of Halloween. This Halloween experience was a totally different one. My freshman year, I experienced a WHOLE new world when I dressed up as a "preppy" girl, walked up the hill to a house party and drank the night away.

(freshman year)

Over the course of the next four years, I took each Halloween SERIOUSLY and spent over $100 dollars on each costume. My buddies and I would flock to the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, barely clothed and extremely cold, hoping to see creative costumes and get plastered on the streets. We would wake up the next morning - no clue how we ever made it home - and would laugh at all of the photos taken of us in our get ups the night before. 

(sophonore year)

(junior year)

(senior year)

Once I graduated college, I continued to drive back to Baltimore to participate in post college Halloween costume drinking parties. And I did so EVERY YEAR (the past three years) until this year. 

 

 

This year I ONLY celebrated Halloween with my students at school. Weird right? I spent the weekend before Halloween babysitting, while all of my college buddies were out participating in shenanigans. I spent Halloween last night eating pizza and drinking wine at a friend's house. And this weekend is looking to be a quiet one at home. When did I get SO OLD that I no longer participate in Halloween? 

I had the BEST time being a fully clothed participant in the Halloween parade at school this year though! The teacher I co-teach with and I decided to be Miss Frizzle and The Magic School Bus, and we looked AWESOME! 

I had so much fun seeing the students in their costumes and watching them have fun. I am so grateful for my experiences yesterday in third grade, for my students and for the teacher I am teaching with. Although my Halloween has been rather quiet this year, I hope you all reading this had a great day and/or evening with those that you love! 

And in other news ... Happy FIRST day of November!